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Oh boy! It has been a huge effort to get these blogs posted. Please bear with me as I battle the Israel heat, technical difficulties, and my fatigue. I see now with adversity comes great adventure, and with adventure comes wonderful stories. I hope to share some "adventure" stories every month with you all...stay tuned!
The Z8 Girls first meal together! (left to right: Anastasia, Keziah, Sayaka, Bianca, Emily!
PRAYER ANSWERED:
My father back home makes a killer South African dish called Bobotie. It is a combination of meat, spices, eggs, and all sorts of yummy stuff. Once I arrived, I asked all the Bridges for Peace volunteers from South Africa if they had something similar back home. Many assured me it was their favorite dish, too. I immediately requested a dinner together so I could eat my beloved Bobotie again. They smiled and said, "What an excellent idea!"
To my surprise, the next day, all the staff had lunch together to send off a long-serving volunteer back to the States. And what do you think was the main dish...?
BABOTIE!! I was jumping up and down with excitement. That was the fastest answer to all my prayers. What a blessed time to share this meal with volunteers from all over. Some volunteers hadn't tried it before. I loved watching their excitement as Babotie became one of their favorite dishes!!
THE FOOD!
Some of the lovely dishes I have enjoyed here in Jerusalem!
MY FIRST DELIVERY:
At the Jerusalem Assistance Center - JAC (pictured left), volunteers weigh, package, and distribute food and goods among the population. Deliveries happen almost every day! Our job here is never-ending. Everyone needs food!
I got to go on a delivery to several homes on September 5th. Smiles were contagious, and the hugs left an imprint on my heart. After passing plastic food bags over a wall, we all sat in a circle, talking with a man (pictured below) over Google Translate. He wanted to know: "Why are you here?"
It took some time for us to communicate, but we each told him our story and why we wanted to help. His eyes lit up each time a member's story ended. Thanking us repeatedly with a firm handshake and a pat on the back, he told us how Bridges has provided food for his community for over 30 years.
MY SECOND DELIVERY:
The Feast of Trumpets is coming soon! This means we are in the process of delivering apples and honey to hundreds of holocaust survivors. I was assigned to help with the deliveries on September 7th. We carried many plastic bags upstairs and into several apartments/nursing homes. The joy was contagious.
After unloading a JAC pallet, the team was invited to hear a ladies' choir. We sat in a semi-circle, facing their sweet faces. Many of them were Holocaust survivors of various descent. They whispered in Russian and Hebrew before straightening up at the voice of their conductor. The choir leader whipped around and told us we would be singing.
The songs were bittersweet but beautiful. The ladies' voices echoed in the small lunch room guiding ours to the melody. We all sang together, sharing smiles and tears. It was a moment in time I shall not forget.
I look forward to signing up for more deliveries in the future!
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